AMAZING ARCTIC Norway & Scandinavia Self-Guided Package 13 days from $4999 Per person twin share, including flights from Australia Call Destination International on 1300 813 391 Daily departures: 2019 - November 8th to December 2nd 2020 - January 20th to March 20th Price Includes: • Return economy airfares from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth & Adelaide flying with a premium airline • Internal airfares within Norway between Oslo and Tromsø • 11 nights standard hotel accommodation in comfortable 3-star accommodation (upgradeable) • Overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo in a 2-berth inside cabin (upgrades available) • Daily breakfast • Train from Stockholm to Copenhagen • Small-group Northern Lights Hunt tour by bus, including hot beverages and cake • 4-hour dog-sledding excursion, including transfer, 45-60 minutes dog-sledding, hot meal in lavvo, and warm clothes Excludes: • Single supplement, required for solo travellers • Travel insurance (required) • Airport transfers • Meals & sightseeing not specified in the itinerary • Optional tours • Personal items, such as drinks, snacks, WiFi, laundry etc • Any items or services not listed in the above inclusions or in the itinerary Subject to confirmation by the airlines, hotels & local operators. Booking conditions & cancellation fees apply. Call Destination International on 1300 813 391 for enquiries & reservations. TRAVELLING IN NOVEMBER Although there might be plenty of snow in Tromsø in November, experience shows that more snow activities get cancelled due to lack of snow in the beginning of November. Therefore several winter activities are first available from mid-November / beginning of December. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT AN ESCORTED TOUR. You will be doing individual day tours where you may meet up with the same people but there is no tour guide with you 24/7. If Tromsø isn’t far north enough for you, you can add a 4-day extension in Svalbard for more spectacular Northern Lights and a snowmobile expedition! Ask your travel consultant for more information. $1899 pp including flights. Tour Itinerary: Day 01: Depart for Scandinavia Depart Australia for Stockholm today. Day 02: Arrive Stockholm Arrive in Stockholm. Make your own way to your accommodation for the evening. The Swedish capital has plenty on offer to its visitors. You will find everything from historical buildings to trendy bars and cafes, modern shopping malls to unique boutiques, from vibrant city life to the tranquillity of the Stockholm archipelago. Stockholm is, with good reason, often referred to as "Beauty on Water". This is partly due to its location on 14 islands, but also because of its neighbour - the Stockholm archipelago with 24 000 islands. Overnight: Stockholm Day 03: Stockholm to Copenhagen by train Breakfast at the hotel before departing by train to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark (5 hours train ride). In the charming city of Copenhagen one thousand years of history awaits you in the medieval streets; the same streets walked on by every generation of the world's oldest royal family, the same streets and canals which have inspired artists for centuries and been home and workplace to meticulous craftsmen and famous designers. Overnight: Copenhagen Day 04: Copenhagen Free Day This day is at your own leisure to discover wonderful Copenhagen. Take a walk down Copenhagen's main shopping street Strøget, visit the lively Nyhavn harbour and explore the many sights Copenhagen has to offer. Sights such as Tivoli, the statue of the Little Mermaid, the Gefion Fountain, the Royal Palace Amalienborg and much more. Overnight: Copenhagen Day 05: Copenhagen to Oslo overnight cruise This day is at your own leisure in Copenhagen, before departing with a cruise ferry from DFDS Seaways at 16:45 hrs. Be sure to embark with time to spare. Overnight: Cruise Ferry Day 06: Arrive Oslo Scandinavian breakfast buffet onboard before arriving in Oslo at 09:30 in the morning. The Norwegian capital is beautifully situated at the head of the Oslo Fjord and surrounded by forested ridges. The city’s surroundings provide recreational opportunities that are frequently taken advantage of by the city’s inhabitants, as well as increasingly by visitors. During the winter you can take the metro to Holmenkollen ridge and go tobogganing, or just enjoy the spectacular view while stopping for coffee and cake at Frognersetern Restaurant. Overnight: Oslo Day 07: Oslo Free Day This day is at your own leisure in Oslo. Sights of interest include the Vigeland Sculpture Park, the Opera House and the Barcode area, Tjuvholmen and the museums at Bygdøy. Overnight: Oslo Day 08: Travel to Tromsø, jewel of the Arctic Today you will head for Northern Norway and Tromsø. The Arctic city of Tromsø is the world’s most northern university town and the largest city in the Nordic countries north of the Arctic Circle. The city lies between the sharp craggy peaks of the Lyngen Alps, and combines wild scenery with urban life. Sights of interest in Tromsø include the Arctic Cathedral, Polaria, the Polar Museum and the Mack brewery. Overnight: Tromsø Days 09 & 10: Tromsø Free Days, Optional Winter Activities The next 2 days are at your own leisure. We recommend adding one of the many optional winter activities, including dog sledding, Northern Lights observations and snowmobile safaris. Due to the city’s location right in the middle of the planet’s Northern Light’s belt, Tromsø offers the world’s best chances of spotting the Northern Lights. Overnight: Tromsø Day 11: Northern Lights Hunt This day is at your own leisure to experience Tromsø, often referred to as Paris of the North due to its lively atmosphere. Sights of interest include the Arctic Cathedral, Polaria, the Polar Museum and the Northern Light Planetarium. Today you will also have the possibility to join one of the optional daytime winter activities. In the evening you will go on an excursion by bus to hunt for the magical Northern lights (small group tour). With good local knowledge the guide will find the best area for the lights and good scenery for your pictures. The hunt will go wherever needed to find clear sky, even to inner Troms if necessary. During the evening your guide will provide interesting information about the Northern lights, both the science and the folklore. The guide will also show you how to adjust your camera settings for pictures of the northern lights, and will take pictures of you with the lights for you to take home to show your family and friends. For some extra fun in the snow they will also bring their “butt boards” (type of small toboggan), in case you find some nice hills to sleigh down! Depending on the evening’s route you might also visit the lavvo at Tromsø Friluftsenter’s basecamp and sit around the nice warm bonfire, and roast marshmallows. Overnight: Tromsø Day 12: Dog Sledding Excursion Today you will embark on a dog-sledding excursion in ideal terrain on the Kvaløya Island, located 30 minutes from the centre of Tromsø. Around 240 friendly Alaskan huskies loudly cheer you upon arrival. You can drive a team yourself, but if you prefer you can ride on a sledge covered with warm reindeer skins and driven by an expert guide. After the dog- sledding you will get to taste a Sami meal followed by hot coffee and homemade cake, served around an open fire in a traditional Sami tent. The afternoon is at leisure to further explore Tromsø or to join an optional excursion. Overnight: Tromsø Day 13: Depart Tromsø Departure from Tromsø today. Optional Svalbard extension highly recommended for an incredible Arctic Experience in the Arctic Island of Spitsbergen. Further details below. SVALBARD EXTENSION ($1899 per person) Day 13: Tromsø to Longyearbyen Fly from Tromsø and arrive in Longyearbyen. From the airport, you can either take the airport shuttle bus or a taxi to get to your hotel (not included, takes about 10 minutes). Enjoy the rest of the day exploring Longyearbyen. Longyearbyen, the “capital” of Spitsbergen with about 2000 permanent residents, is a unique little town. It is dominated by its Arctic environment, but it is surprisingly cosmopolitan with art galleries, pubs, long wine lists at restaurants, stores and a mini-mall. It used to be an industrial town though, and reminders of its history and heritage, for example from the coal mining time, can be seen everywhere. We recommend a visit to Svalbard Church, the northernmost church in the world, and the interesting Svalbard Museum whose exhibits cover the history, climate, geology, wildlife and exploration of the archipelago. Overnight: Longyearbyen Day 14: Dog Sledding in Bolterdalen After breakfast, at 9am (or alternatively at 3pm) you will be picked up for your half-day dog sledding excursion. You will be driven to the dog kennel outside Longyearbyen where you will receive an overall, boots, hat and mittens and a thorough briefing from the mushers about dog sledding. Then you will meet the excited dogs that all want to join the tour! You are welcome to help harnessing the dogs before you, in pairs, find your sledge with 5-6 dogs (2 guests will ride with the guide in a sled with 10-12 dogs). You will steer your team of dogs through beautiful Bolterdalen valley which offers a unique arctic scenery and good chances of observing arctic wildlife such as reindeer. Halfway through the tour you can swap if you like. The dog sledding itself takes about 1.5 hours. No previous experience is required, you learn as you go. Return to Longyearbyen in the early afternoon. Relax at your hotel or discover more of town before it is time for dinner. Longyearbyen offers several restaurants, for example the fine dining restaurant Huset or cosy Kroa. Overnight: Longyearbyen Day 15: Snowmobile Tour in Tempelfjorden You will be picked up at your hotel and brought to the starting point of the snowmobile safari.